Dongfeng to launch first own-brand PV in March

Shanghai, January 19 (Gasgoo.com) After more than one year of construction with an investment of 3.6 billion yuan ($527 million), the first Dongfeng brand passenger vehicle will come to market soon, China Business News reported today.

Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Company, a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Group Co., will launch the own brand in March, and its first Dongfeng-brand PV model, with the size of Excelle, will debut the 2009 Shanghai auto show in April, an insider told the newspaper. By the end of last year, the PV maker had completed the factory construction and drawn up its mid- and long-term plans for this first own-brand model.

As its first self-developed product, Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Company has chosen the best-selling 1.6L medium-grade model, which means it will compete with the Buick Excelle and Hyundai Elantra. In addition, Dongfeng will launch in the future all the products ranging from the A00 class to the B class. The company has started trial run of three platforms and the development of two series of engines.

Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Company was founded in July 2007 as a division to fulfill Dongfeng Motor Group's dreams of building its own-brand passenger vehicles, an ambitious project that the group has invested 3.6 million yuan for the first phase, with the whole project to cost 10 million yuan. The initial production capacity will reach 120,000 passenger vehicles.

In the sales network and supplier system, Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Company has signed deals with more than 40 dealers and over 180 auto-parts suppliers. The production, launch and marketing of the first Dongfeng brand passenger vehicle model are all well prepared now.